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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29016648">Peaceful Pastures</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hope170/pseuds/hope170'>hope170</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Tags will update with each chapter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:20:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,090</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29016648</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hope170/pseuds/hope170</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The group of clones were lost, broken, and confused when they were found, huddled together and hiding in the Etherian Faun's barn. They were left with only each other in this foreign world that they had no doubt would kill them if given the chance. How were they supposed to adjust when everything they had ever known had been a lie?</p>
<p>Maybe this place could help. It seemed nice enough. At the very least the sheep were cute.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just an idea I had about a bunch of clones working on a farm of sorts and figuring themselves out. I don't know. I thought it'd be cute.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The morning came with the twittering of bird song. That was the first thing he noticed, the odd high pitched chirps and whistles. His ear twitched and he let out a chirp of his own, a distressed sound. He tried to claw himself out of the hold of sleep, blinking open his eyes. There was another chirp close by, a comforting sound that helped him calm his racing heartbeats. He was laying on his side on the hard ground, soft twinges of pain radiating from his hip and shoulder. He groaned, pushing himself up to sit, looking over the unfamiliar surroundings.</p>
<p>He was in a wooden structure with a high ceiling and thick walls. The inside was mostly open save for the fence that sectioned off a large portion of the floor, leaving enough space for someone to walk along the walls. There were large doors leading out of the fenced off area, ones that looked quite heavy and appeared to roll to the side to open. He was sitting at the back of the building on the walkway. It felt like a secure place when he and his brothers found it the night before. Then, the fenced area was full of some sort of animal, ones that looked soft and made gentle sounds. They hadn’t seemed dangerous and provided good cover when they settled behind them. Now they were gone, the large doors open just a crack. It made the building feel empty, exposed, not safe. </p>
<p>He looked over to his brothers on his left, making sure they were okay. Three were asleep, laying as he had just been and huddled close together. They looked like they were resting okay. Past them was another brother, awake, leaning against what looked like bunches of dried grass that had been stored in the corner of the building. He gave another comforting chirp when he saw the other was awake. This brother didn’t seem quite as anxious as he felt.</p>
<p>“Where?” He asked, looking back over to the fenced area.</p>
<p>“An Etherian took them out.”</p>
<p>“Were we spotted?”</p>
<p>“Yes, but she left us alone. I think we’re safe, for now.”</p>
<p>“What if she’s going to get someone? Soldiers?”</p>
<p>He shook his head. </p>
<p>“I don’t think she is. I’ve seen her walking around outside. There’s no one else.”</p>
<p>He still felt anxious. Who's to say she doesn’t have some way of contacting them remotely? He wanted to leave, but he didn’t want to wake his sleeping brothers. He knew they were tired after the previous day. It had been a lot, and not just the long day walking through those woods, but the battle before then, being severed from the hivemind…</p>
<p>The truth.</p>
<p>It was just a lot to wrap one’s mind around. So, he figured it would be okay to let them sleep, just for a little longer. He trusted his brother. If he said it was safe, then it was most likely safe. </p>
<p>He closed his eyes, leaning against the rough wooden wall behind him with a soft sigh. For a moment, things were silent save for the song of the birds outside. Then his ears lowered and an odd, strangled sort of sound clawed out of his throat. He covered his mouth with a hand, blinking rapidly to try and rid himself of the hot sting. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to his brother who gave him a soft smile and a nod. </p>
<p>He didn’t want to cry, didn’t want to show that sort of weakness, but the tears came nonetheless.</p>
<p>What were they going to do now?</p>
<p>=</p>
<p>When Pastora woke up that morning, it was from a restless sleep plagued by nightmares. In her dreams, she was surrounded by enemies, in the middle of a battle. When she wasn’t being chased by the soldiers then the ground was shaking and cracking open, swallowing her whole. She supposed such dreams were to be expected after the world nearly ended just the other night.</p>
<p>That was the most she had been affected by the Horde occupation of the planet. She was mostly left alone, just one faun living in her little cottage by the woods. She didn’t draw any attention. But then again, the occupation was over now, so she had expected that that was it. The world nearly ended, but it was saved, and she could continue to care for her sheep and sell her wool and live her quiet life.</p>
<p>That’s what she expected, until she had gone to the barn that morning to let the sheep out. She hadn’t expected to see the horde soldiers hiding in the back, all huddled together. It was an odd sight, to see the much larger, fierce warriors who had wreaked havoc over the planet, sleeping in a pile in her barn. One of them was awake, staring at her with blank green eyes, his ears lowered and a snarl on his face, leaning protectively over his sleeping brothers. She tilted her head at him but didn’t approach. He reminded her of a cornered animal, one ready to attack if threatened. </p>
<p>She decided it was best if she left for now. She needed to feed and water the sheep and get herself ready for the day. She could figure out what to do next after she had her coffee.</p>
<p>She sipped her drink in the cottage, looking through the window that sat over the sink. From there she could see her flock and the barn and keep an eye on everything while she thought things through.</p>
<p>On the one hand, there was always the chance they would simply leave once they had rested and she wouldn’t have to bother with anything. On the other hand, if they did leave they would probably die in the woods, either from exposure or some animal. From what she understood, they had been controlled in some way and were not completely to blame for their actions. She wasn’t sure they deserved death. Who did? </p>
<p>But then if she couldn’t let them leave and die, should she invite them to stay? Take them somewhere else? Where else could they go? She sighed. Perhaps it was best to let them stay, then. At least until she could talk to them properly and figure things out with them. </p>
<p>She was taken out of her thoughts when she spotted one of the clones peeking their head out of the barn’s side door. She raised an eyebrow, floppy ear twitching with interest. What was he up to? She lowered her mug to the counter as she watched him.</p>
<p>He withdrew back into the barn before peering out again, frantically looking about. Was he looking for some sort of danger? It seemed likely. This world may be unfamiliar to them, after all, and they had just been at war not that long ago. Once he had thoroughly checked his surroundings he took a tentative step out of the building's protection. He moved slowly, stopping every couple of steps to make sure he wasn’t being followed or watched. </p>
<p>She noticed with a smirk of amusement that it looked like he was trying to approach one of the sheep, a Ewe with her lamb. He froze when the mother looked at him, waiting, but when it didn’t look like they were about to run away or attack, he continued, even slower than before. Finally, he was within touching distance. He crouched trying to make himself look small, she guessed, and watched them closely. The lamb was watching him now, too, leaning forward to sniff at him curiously. The clone froze at first, then offered his hand for the lamb to sniff. Then, slowly, he reached out to pet it. </p>
<p>A smile slowly spread over his face until he was beaming. </p>
<p>After several long minutes of petting he stopped, looking back to the barn, to the sheep, then to the barn again. It looked like he was thinking before nodding to himself and going back to the barn. A few moments he reemerged, another clone following behind him. The second one paused at the door, giving his surroundings an anxious look. He didn’t seem quite as ready to leave as the other had been but with a bit of encouragement he eventually left the barn behind. They walked up to the sheep and the first clone showed the second how he went about petting them. It wasn’t long before he was smiling as well.</p>
<p>“Okay, that’s pretty precious.” She said to no one, taking a long sip of her now room temperature coffee. She scrunched her nose at it, dumping the rest down the sink.</p>
<p>Looks like she was going to have some house guests.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was around midday when Pastora went back to the barn to check on the group. She had spent the morning watching over the sheep and leading them farther out to the stream on the far end of the fenced in pasture before leading them back around the house. The walk did the animals good and the grass was greener and thicker around the water. </p>
<p>Now that she was back she could make herself some lunch, just a simple sandwich with the lettuce and tomato from the garden. She made a few extra, too, just in case the clones were hungry. She didn’t really know what they ate, if they ate at all, but she wanted to be safe. She could always ask them about their dietary habits when she gets the chance.</p>
<p>So, she took her food as well as a canteen of water and went out to the barn.</p>
<p>She didn’t want to startle them by opening the side door, so she went through the barn doors. Instantly, five pairs of glowing green eyes met her, one of the clones giving a low growl. She thought it was one the one that was awake when she checked on them that morning, he was in the same spot and that growl sounded familiar, but she couldn’t really tell. They were all identical, after all, all dressed the same and in similar states of mess. She assumed they had come from the woods. </p>
<p>She ignored the growl and moved forward until she was in the middle of the sheep pen and sat down, placing her things to the side. The growling stopped shortly after, and for a moment they stared at each other. Pastora decided that was as good a time as any to grab one of the sandwiches and take a bite. </p>
<p>“So,” she eventually said after swallowing her bite. “... are you doing okay?” She was met with more silence and blank faces. That was fine. She wasn’t expecting them to open up right away, that would be a lot to ask of anybody who had been through so much. “I, um, I made you some sandwiches.” She grabbed the plate and moved in front of herself, pushing it as close to them as she could while sitting. “I don’t know if you eat stuff like this, but I thought you might be hungry.” She paused for a moment to think over what she wanted to say. “You can stay here, if you want. I won’t mind. It’s just me and the sheep here, no one will bother you. You can be safe.” </p>
<p>She looked down, taking a few more bites of her sandwich. She heard shifting around and a whisper, too quiet for her to hear but clearly enough for the others. One of them whispered back and they went silent again. She finished her sandwich and got up, brushing the dirt off her pants. </p>
<p>“I’ll be outside with the sheep. If you need anything, you can just come get me, okay?” She smiled at them as bright as she could manage. The clones shared a look between each other before one nodded, the same one that growled before. That was probably all she was going to get, so she nudged the water next to the sandwiches and left. </p>
<p>=</p>
<p>Once the Etherian had left, the clones began talking amongst themselves. </p>
<p>“I think she’s nice.” Said the one who had left the building first to look at the animals. Didn’t she call them sheep? That was a funny name.</p>
<p>There was a general hum of agreement between the other four. </p>
<p>“But is she safe? Can we really stay here?” Said another. There was a moment of silence.</p>
<p>“Where else can we go?” Said a third, the one who had watched over them as they slept and growled at the Etherian. He seemed to be the oldest, as far as any of them could tell. At the very least he had the most experience which meant that the others listened to him. “I think we should stay.”</p>
<p>It was … nice? To feel like they were safe somewhere, even if they weren’t entirely sure that was true. At the very least they wanted to feel safe. And as long as they stayed together then they could get out if things went bad. So, they all nodded their agreement.</p>
<p>But just because they decided to stay doesn’t mean they were just going to let their guards down. It wasn’t until much later, when the sun had fallen far in the sky, not yet hitting the horizon but getting close, did one of them leave the building again. </p>
<p>He stood outside the side door for only a moment, looking around for the faun. She was out in the pasture quite a ways, partially hidden by the sheep grazing around her. It was easier to notice her the closer he got. She looked so … unassuming,  just sitting there in the grass with such plain clothing, just a loose tan tunic and brown pants. She had horns, but they were too small to be considered dangerous. Nothing about her looked dangerous. She was just too soft, too small. Maybe that’s why he trusted her so easily. </p>
<p>She fiddled with a blade of grass, not noticing his approach until the sheep reacted, giving off their baas, some skirting away, others walking closer curiously. That’s when she looked up, a smile on her face. It was a sudden movement, making him take a half-step back before he schooled himself into a blank mask. For a moment neither of them spoke.</p>
<p>“We’ve decided to stay.” He finally spoke up, voice quiet and gruff. She nodded.</p>
<p>“Alright. I can get the bedrooms ready for you in the house, if you want. I’m not going to make you stay in the barn.”</p>
<p>He cocked his head to the side, glancing back at the building that had been spending their time in. It certainly wasn’t comfortable and the open space did little to make them feel secure. Yes, the house was a better option. Of course, he wouldn’t tell his brothers what to do, he was no Prime. He would let them know of the offer and let them make their own choices. </p>
<p>The thought was … unnerving. They weren’t supposed to make these decisions. The only thing they were really supposed to do was follow the perfect will of Horde Prime that they may revel in his light. But Horde Prime was gone. They were on their own now and they needed to do what was necessary to survive. He just hoped that fact would be just as easy to accept for his brothers, though a part of him already knew that wasn’t likely. </p>
<p>“Very well. I will let the others know.” </p>
<p>He turned to leave, but before he could she spoke up. </p>
<p>“Did any of you eat or drink.”</p>
<p>There was a pause before he turned back to her, blank mask firmly in place.</p>
<p>“No. Ingesting solid foods was a privilege reserved only for Horde Prime. It … may take some time for us to adjust.”</p>
<p>He tried to be comforting when he said it but she still frowned.</p>
<p>“Oh, um … how long can you go without? I need to know when to start being concerned.”</p>
<p>He blinked at her for a moment, then looked off into the distance as he thought.</p>
<p>“ … in Etherian time, I believe that would be … ten days without water, one months without food.”</p>
<p>She hummed, thinking for a moment. </p>
<p>“I suppose that’s okay, that gives us time to work on it. Alright! I’ll go get the rooms ready.”</p>
<p>She hopped to her hooves, and ran off towards the cottage, leaving him with the sheep. He stood there a moment longer before returning to the building, the barn, she called it. </p>
<p>He told his brothers what she had said, but they were still hesitant to leave their spot. Except for one, the first one that had left the barn to pet the sheep. They had figured out that he was the youngest of them, emerging just before the battle for the Heart of Etheria. He was also the most curious, willing to leave the barn just to see more. After thinking it over, one another joined them as well, but the last two refused. </p>
<p>Neither spoke. One just shook his head and the other looked away. Neither of them had spoken yet that day. The one who had looked away hadn’t even moved from his spot after sitting up that morning, just stared at the ground in front of him. The other one looked at him, concerned, and he understood. He nodded and followed the other two to the house.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This place was … quiet. </p><p>He hated it. He hated the quiet so much. There was no comfort in silence, in the empty space between sounds. It only served as a reminder of everything that was lost, of the emptiness in his own mind. The hive mind was gone. Lord Prime was gone. He was alone with nothing but this cursed silence.</p><p>He curled up in the corner, forehead pressed firmly into the wooden wall and hands over his ears. He found out that if he pressed hard enough he could hear the blood rush through his ears. It wasn’t enough to blot out the silence in his mind, but it helped some. It was enough to distract himself for now.</p><p>The relief he felt when he heard the door open was immense. His brother had returned! He allowed himself to look up to catch sight of him. He needed some sign, anything, to prove that he wasn’t alone. Sure enough, there was his brother, smiling warmly at him and holding what looked like some blankets.</p><p>He settled by his side with a comforting thrum, the sound managing to settle his nerves after the silence. This brother of his didn’t speak, hadn’t since they had left together, but that didn’t matter too much. His purr was the same as all the others as he settled a blanket on his more nervous brother’s shoulders. It was nice, the fabric warm and soft and smelling faintly of some sort of wildflower.  He sighed, finally turning away from the wall to huddle close to his quiet brother, resting his head on his shoulder to better hear the purring. It was much easier to ignore the silence in his head with his brother close by. </p><p>He knew it would be better in the house with the others. He knew it would be louder, more comfortable, perhaps even safer. He knew that, but he couldn’t leave. He couldn’t bring himself to trust anything in this foreign land. The only thing he trusted was his brothers, the only thing he had left of his old life. That life was safe, consistent. There was none of this hiding, this constant fear, this deafening silence. </p><p>Everything was right. Everything was as it should be.</p><p>But this. This was all wrong. How could anything here be safe? No, he couldn’t trust any of it, no matter how supposedly innocent or soft or kind. </p><p>He drew the blanket closer to his frame, leaning into his brother. He knew he was safe here so that would have to be enough for now.</p><p>=</p><p>The house was small but cozy, warm, comfortable. It was easy to keep track of what was going on. It was mostly the one room, where Pastora said she did nearly everything when she wasn’t needed outside. It was where she cooked, worked, and relaxed. There were only four other rooms beyond that. Her bedroom, the washroom, and two other bedrooms she had done her best to make up for them. There weren't enough beds for each of them, only one in each room, but she had tried to fix this by making a sort of nest-type structure in one of the rooms. It was large enough to fit all three of them if they wanted to stay together and was rather comfortable. </p><p>They did not need as much sleep as the Etherians, but it was still nice of her. Besides, it was a nice place to get away from everything if they needed to.</p><p>Pastora stayed in the house for the rest of that day. She said it was because she wanted to make sure they were comfortable. She spent that time trying to learn more about them, though they had few answers to give her. She asked about what to call them, what they liked eating, what they liked doing, their favorites. She looked downcast when they had to tell her they had no experience with any of that. </p><p>“Maybe that’s something we can find out together!” She suggested, looking a bit more optimistic. “Not right away, of course, but gradually, over time. As you learn more about this place you can decide what sort of stuff you like.”</p><p>“You mean like the sheep?” Their youngest brother asked, head cocked to the side. She beamed at that.</p><p>“Exactly! There’s all sorts of things you would like and you don’t even know it!”</p><p>Their youngest brother seemed excited by the prospect of a whole world to explore, of having this opportunity to find out what HE liked, what HE wanted. The other two shared a glance from their spot on the couch, but said nothing to dissuade him. They understood that, without Prime’s guiding light, they would have to make these decisions themselves, even the most basic of decisions like what they enjoyed.</p><p>“But how do we decide?” He asked.</p><p>“You’ll know when you like something. You already know you like the sheep, don’t you?” He nodded. “It’s as simple as that.”</p><p>Eventually, as the sky grew dark outside, Pastora did have to leave the house.</p><p>“I need to put the sheep back into the barn.”</p><p>“Why?” The youngest asked, following close behind as she went for the door. He ended up following her outside, startling his brothers who rushed for the door as well, not willing to leave him alone with the stranger. She seemed safe enough, but they had no way to be sure, Better to keep an eye on them.</p><p>“Because if I don’t they get eaten or hurt by the predators from the woods.” She explained. “They tend to come out at night.”</p><p>The creatures had not wandered far. The three watched as she herded them towards the barn with a few gentle shoves and shouts. It didn’t take too long before they were disappearing into the wooden building. It took longer for her to come back out. The longer it took her the more anxious the group became until finally she did show up once more.</p><p>“What are you going to do now?” The youngest asked, by her side in an instant. She had to crane her head back painfully to look at him as she spoke.</p><p>“First, I’m going to get those two more blankets. It looks like it’s going to be a cold night.” She wasn’t wrong. They could all feel a bit of a chill in the air that hadn’t been present before. “Then I’m going to make some dinner. Etherians have to eat a lot to keep their energy up.”</p><p>There was a beat of silence before another clone spoke up. </p><p>“I used to cook. On the Velvet Glove.”</p><p>Her eyes turned to him, an unnervingly warm gaze that made him fidget with the hem of his hooded shawl as they neared the house.</p><p>“Really? That’s interesting. Did you enjoy it?”</p><p>There was that blasted question again. How would he know if he enjoyed it?</p><p>“It was just the job Prime had assigned me. It is inconsequential whether or not I enjoyed it.” He paused, thinking. “Though I suppose I did find a sort of … comfort in the work.”</p><p>“Maybe, if you tried doing it just for yourself, it would be easier to tell if it’s something you like?”</p><p>He just nodded.</p><p>“Maybe.”</p><p>In truth he couldn’t quite comprehend the idea. Doing something for oneself seemed pointless. There would be no purpose, he would be helping no one, furthering nothing. But then, there was no grand plan anymore. It didn’t matter what he did. His actions were no longer apart of some whole. Nothing he did would have the same purpose it once had. </p><p>His ears drooped slightly at the thought.</p><p>They went back into the house and, once Pastora had returned from giving his isolated brothers their extra blankets, she started cooking. He was too lost in his own thoughts to observe her actions, but the youngest of them never left her side. He watched her every move with wide, curious eyes. </p><p>In the end, when the house was filled with the strange yet somehow familiar smells of her cooking, he decided he could ponder such things as his purpose at a later time. He was curious, too. He wanted to know how these Etherians went about preparing their food, how it may differ from the way things were done in the kitchen he worked in.  </p><p>He watched closely from his spot on the couch.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have names already picked out for all the boys, but I can't use them yet cause story reasons. It's getting difficult to try and show who is who without using names, but I'm sure it'll work out.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The second night in the barn was worse than the first. </p><p>It was the combination of little things that got to him. The silence of the night, somehow even worse than the day even with the sounds of sleeping animals, the air that was just a bit too cold, but was too warm with the blankets, his own frenzied thoughts that would not settle and refused to make sense, the dark that hung heavy around him, blotting out the world. He shifted constantly in an attempt to find some sort of comfort in the pile of blankets Pastora had given them.</p><p>He tried not to. He didn’t want to wake the silent brother who had remained by his side. That hardly mattered as, after some time of his restless attempts at sleep, his brother did wake with a sleepy chirp. Cool glowing green eyes stared at him.</p><p>“‘M Sorry.” He mumbled, but his mind was too jumbled to say much else. He couldn’t make a proper thought, could only feel. Feel the silence, feel the frustration, feel the discomfort. He felt hot and cold at once, the night air numbing his fingers but his chest so hot he felt like he could catch fire from the inside. </p><p>He hadn’t noticed he was shivering until his brother put a hand on his shoulder, steady against his shaking form. He couldn’t tell what emotion was behind the other’s eyes but he could feel the worry radiating off of him. He tried shoving him away. It was just too hot. </p><p>His brother got to his feet and left. No, that wasn’t what he wanted either. He groaned, continuing his vain attempts at comfort. He shoved the blankets away until he was laying on his back on the cool dirt. It helped a little but he still found himself rolling onto his side, then the other, then his stomach, then his back once more. His hand curled in his chest, caught in the fabric of the symbol of the Horde. They still felt too cold.</p><p>He wanted his brothers back. He needed their voices, not the gentle sounds of the sheep. He whined as the loneliness consumed him, swirling with the fire in his body.</p><p>As if hearing his thoughts, the sound of the door opening met him. He peered into the darkness, searching for the gentle glow of his brother's eyes, letting out a sound he wanted to be appreciative but came out as a whine of discomfort. </p><p>There were footsteps, too many footsteps, soft against the dirt floor. </p><p>The hands against his body were too warm, too hot, but he couldn’t push them away. Then he would be alone again and he couldn’t be alone. He couldn’t take it.</p><p>There was a voice, one he knew wasn’t his brothers. He flinched at the sound, curling into himself. The hand on his shoulder remained, shifting to rub circles into his back. Then he was being picked up. He didn’t want to be picked up. It was just too hot, but he didn’t want to fight it either. He didn’t want his brother to leave again. </p><p>He was taken elsewhere. His mind couldn’t properly put together where they were going, just that he was hit with blessedly cool air for a short period of time before they entered somewhere bright. He snapped his eyes shut with a groan, burying his face into his brother's chest. </p><p>He was set down on something soft and for a moment he was afraid he would be left alone again, but then that familiar hand was back, running through his hair with a comforting chirp and thrum. He allowed himself to relax, but not as much as he wanted to. He was still shaking, his body far too hot, and the discomfort would not leave him.</p><p>There were some noises nearby, another comfort after the quiet of the barn. It was nicer here, he decided, even though it was unbearably warm and bright. His eyes adjusted to the brightness after a while, his vision blurry as he looked around without properly taking anything in, and after some time something cool was pressed against his forehead. He sighed in relief, sinking into whatever he had been put on. Finally, he was lulled into sleep by the hand running through his hair and the cool managing to fight off the heat.</p><p>=</p><p>At first, he wasn’t sure what had woken him. He blinked in the dark of the room. His brothers were huddled in the nest structure with him, still sleeping soundly. Whatever had woken him must not have been loud then. He listened intently, ears twitching.</p><p>There were footsteps coming from the main room, the shuffling of things moving around. He frowned. Was it not late? Didn’t Etherians need their sleep? Or was it one of his brothers coming in from the barn? Did they need something? </p><p>He grumbled but managed to slip out of the clinging grasp of his brothers without waking them. Nearly silent, he left the room and went through the short hallway to the main area, lit by the glow of the fire in the fireplace.</p><p>He was a bit shocked to find one of his brothers on the couch. He looked miserable, shivering often and covered in a thin layer of sweat. A wet cloth had been placed over his forehead, supposedly in an attempt to fight off whatever this fever was. </p><p>“What happened? Is he ill?” </p><p>The second brother looked up at him when he spoke, face etched with worry. He didn’t say anything, just shrugged and went back to running his hand through the others hair.</p><p>“I think he’s going through withdrawal.” His attention was brought to Pastora, sitting at the table in the kitchen area. She had something in her hands, some sort of screen cobbled together from old technology. “The symptoms are similar. I’m trying to see if there have been any reports of other clones going through the same thing.” </p><p>He glanced back to his ill brother on the couch but walked to the table instead, taking a seat next to the Etherian. She looked tired, eyes scanning over whatever information she had pulled up on the screen. A few moments later she brightened with a sound of triumph. </p><p>“Here we go! It looks like Princess Entrapta has posted some stuff about this on a forum.” She scanned it a moment. “It says that some sort of drug was in the amniotic fluid. Several clones are experiencing some severe withdrawal now that you can’t take it anymore.”</p><p>His ears drooped when he heard that, looking back over to his brothers. </p><p>“Does it say how many have taken ill?”</p><p>She hummed, still looking through everything, before answering. </p><p>“I’m not sure. She estimates that it's about …  a third? A half?”</p><p>“Which means more of us will fall ill soon.” He stated. He wondered if he should go check on his sleeping brothers but reasoned that they had been fine when he left. He highly doubted this sort of thing could come on in such a short period of time. </p><p>“Don’t worry, I’m sure the symptoms won’t last more than a few days. I don’t mind taking care of you until then.”</p><p>He tried not to scowl. It was kind of her to offer her home to them, and now to volunteer to care for them while they were ill. It was too kind. It must be a trap of some sort, she must be tricking them. He was sure of it, but if that was the case then she was an impeccable actress. She showed no sign of deceiving them. Still, he could not put the thought away that he shouldn’t be too trusting.</p><p>“There’s no need. We will take care of our own.”</p><p>For some reason she seemed hurt by his words but nodded none the less.</p><p>“Alright. Do you want to read through this, then?” She offered him the screen. “There’s a lot of information here and I don’t really understand it all.” Her ears lowered at her admission, her eyes averted. </p><p>He thought for a moment and decided to take the screen, Pastora’s shoulders relaxing a bit when he did. </p><p>As he read, she went off to prepare a kettle of tea for herself and, she insisted, for them if they wanted it. They didn’t have any. </p><p>It was a long night for the group. He remained awake, reading all the information he could get. His brother soon fell asleep where he sat, leaning against the couch, close to their ill brother. Pastora remained awake as well, either sitting at the table or replacing the cloth in his brother's head, making sure he stayed cool. He allowed it for now, watching her carefully to make sure she didn’t try anything to harm him. </p><p>Still, as distrustful as he was, he appreciated her efforts.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey, look at that! Two chapters in one day! Now you know it's going to be a while until the next one. That's usually how that ends up working for me.</p><p>Poor baby is sick but he's got plenty of people ready to take care of him.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The nightmares were unbearable. When he was awake, everything passed in a confusion blur. He was sure he lashed out a few times, but he hardly remembered. But the nightmares. He remembered those far too vividly. They were there to greet him whenever he closed his eyes.</p>
<p>He was in the Velvet Glove, pristine white halls surrounding him. But it wasn’t right. Nothing was where it was supposed to be. There were no doors, no sign of where he was or where he’d been. It was silent. His boots made no sound against the ground, his breath didn’t fill his lungs, his hearts didn’t beat. It was complete silence, deathly silence, pressing in on him. </p>
<p>The panic bubbled up and he ran, desperate. Where were his brothers? Where was he? </p>
<p>He felt confusion, panic, and a crushing loneliness that would not leave. They built and built and he ran and ran. He had to find them! He had to! But there was nothing there.</p>
<p>He was alone.</p>
<p>He was in the Velvet Glove, walking camly towards the door in front of him, one that led to Lord Prime’s throne room. He had been summoned. He had to go. </p>
<p>He walked through inky blackness towards the light where Lord Prime waited for him, statuesque, pristine, perfect, glory be to Horde Prime. He was towering over the clone, face blank, then twisting into a smirk, cold and cruel. He could feel his hearts leap in his chest, fear taking hold instantly, hitting him hard. Every nerve told him to run, but Prime’s presence held him fast. He couldn’t move.</p>
<p>His surroundings shifted, brightening with a sickly green tinge. He could smell blood in the air, the metallic and slightly acrid. The blood of his brothers. Their bodies were piled up all around them. They were gone, they were dead, it was just him, just him and the cold yet burning light of Prime, stained with the blood of his brothers, uncaring. A silver-taloned hand reaches for him, to cup his cheek, and his hearts feels like they might burst in his chest.</p>
<p>Empty. Everything is empty. There isn’t even blackness. He’s dead. He must be.</p>
<p>But then light burst across his eyes and he’s staring at a new world that was still achingly familiar. His brothers welcomed him to the Velvet Glove and sent him out. He knew what to do. He had his brothers guiding him.</p>
<p>But then they weren’t there and he was crashing to the ground, head ringing from the hard impact. He deserved it, he told himself as Prime’s anger boiled and crashed against his mind. He messed up, he deserved this.</p>
<p>But now a part of him wondered if that was true. Was Prime’s anger truly righteous.</p>
<p>He was standing, a younger brother by his side. He could feel his fear radiating off of him but he could not help. He was too young. He didn’t know his own power yet. He hadn’t meant to break the machinery, but that didn’t matter now that he was facing punishment. He looked to him, shaking, so scared. He didn’t mean it, he didn’t deserve this, He didn’t deserve this.</p>
<p>He closed his eyes as the screams filled his mind. He collapsed to the ground, clutching at his ears. Screams, so many screams. His brothers screamed and screamed, burned alive by Prime’s cold fire. He screamed too, the sound leaving his throat until it was raw. But it didn’t stop, the screaming, it never stopped. Why wouldn’t it stop? </p>
<p>But then it did and he was alone again. His brothers were gone. Everything was gone. It was just him, alone, so completely alone.</p>
<p>He wanted it back. He wanted his brothers. Prime be damned, he just wanted his brothers back.</p>
<p>And it just kept happening, nightmare after nightmare. </p>
<p>Then he was in the Velvet Glove. His mind was quiet, but he wasn’t alone. His brothers were by his side, talking quietly amongst themselves. None of them worried about Prime or what he willed for them. It didn’t matter. </p>
<p>They didn’t need Horde Prime.</p>
<p>= </p>
<p>He woke up for the first time with a clear mind, warm, comforted by the sounds of conversation nearby. It was okay. He knew he was safe, somehow. He could take his tame waking up, blinking away the grogginess the best he could. </p>
<p>After a few moments he shifted and tried to sit up, his body protesting every step of the way. He groaned, rubbing at the ache in his back. </p>
<p>The conversation nearby stopped at the sound. It looked like he had drawn their attention.</p>
<p>He looked around the room. It was unfamiliar to him. Was he in the Etherian’s house? When did he get here? But it was okay, he told himself. It wasn’t so silent in the house and his brothers were here, already coming to his side with comforting chirps and pleased smiles. Their eyes had changed colors slightly, he noted. They weren’t the same sickly green as before. They were shades of turquoise now, one darker than the other. How odd.</p>
<p>“How are you feeling, brother?” Asked one of them, the youngest he realizes, with the lighter eyes. </p>
<p>“Better. My back aches, but I’m sure that’s from being on the couch so long.”</p>
<p>The third chuckled, helping him to his feet and leading him outside for fresh air. It was dark, the sky lit by the stars and bright moons. He could, of course, still see every detail. From the barn, the field, sections of tall grass swaying in the soft, chilly breeze, to the woods, just in sight so far away. It was a peaceful night, but not a silent one. His ears twitched this way and that as he took in the night sounds, bugs chirping in the distance, the muted bleats of the sheep in their barn, the rustling of the grass and branches with every gust of wind. </p>
<p>His brothers spoke often, as well. They told him about everything he missed while he was out of it. The other two had gotten really bad, too, though none of them got a fever like him. They did get shaky and sweaty and a bit delirious, hiding away in one of the bedrooms to wait out the worst of the symptoms. These two had gotten bad, too, but had recovered quicker. The youngest told him about even more things, like the little bird he managed to feed the other day. He was rather delighted by that. </p>
<p>“Pastora said it was a sparrow. They usually fly away, but it ate right from my hand! Isn’t that amazing?” </p>
<p>He nodded, a fond smile on his face. </p>
<p>“Pastora’s been teaching me how she cooks.” The third one said and the youngest nodded eagerly. </p>
<p>“And I’ve been helping! I even tried some.” He said sheepishly.</p>
<p>He cocked his head at that, shocked. They were not permitted to consume such foods. It was a luxury reserved only for Horde Prime.</p>
<p>But Horde Prime was gone and he had never really been kind to them, had he? Did his rules truly matter when he had lied to them about … everything? They did not need Horde Prime, and they did not need his rules.</p>
<p>“Was it good?”</p>
<p>The youngest blinked at him a moment, then smiled brightly.</p>
<p>“It was!” </p>
<p>They talked for some time, laughing with each other, but he hardly listened, just took in the warmth of their voices as they spoke. This was nice, he decided. They were going to be okay.</p>
<p>“Brother, are you crying?”</p>
<p>He sniffed, rubbing the moisture off his cheeks. </p>
<p>“Yes, but do not worry. I’m just…” He thought a moment, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face. “I am happy.”</p>
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